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Baked Oatmeal
2-1/2 c. oats
1-3/4 c. buttermilk
½ c. coconut oil
4 eggs
½ c. sugar, maple syrup or honey
1 tsp. Baking powder
½ tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Cinnamon
2 tsp. Vanilla
2 c. raisins
2 c. chopped apples or pears
Optional: 2 c. chopped nuts (or sprinkle on each individual serving after baking)
Soak oats and buttermilk covered on kitchen counter overnight. In the morning, beat oil, sugar, and eggs until glossy. Add baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla; beat. Stir in oats, raisins, and chopped apples (or pears). Pour into 9×13 baking dish and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
Update: Sue told me that sometimes in the morning she’ll add a little more milk if it seems like it will be too dry, you may want to play with it and see what you like.
ANOTHER UPDATE: Be sure to read this post by Amanda to be sure you’re breaking down the phytic acid in the oats!
- See Sue’s other post about healthy, green parenting
- See my recipe for organic homemade oatmeal bars
- More healthy breakfast ideas (this is one of my all-time most visited posts)
- Part of the Oatmeal Challenge!
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I just need to clarify that I didn’t try it with honey or maple syrup yet. I thought you could use it in place of the sugar. The original recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar and I cut it in half. If anyone uses honey or maple syrup, let me know how it turns out (unless I try it before you in the next week or so!) Also, the last time I made this I used 1/2 steel cut, and half rolled oats.
Blessings!
Sue E.
I’ll have to try this! I enjoy oatmeal and most everyone else in our household will eat it. It would make a great Sunday morning meal.
FreedomFirst’s last blog post..This and That
I do a similar thing. Just posted my recipe last week here.
http://anothermamakitchen.blogspot.com/2009/02/breakfast-ideas.html
Noelle’s last blog post..soaked kefir spice muffins
This sounds really healthy. Do you think the baking powder is
an absolute essential ingredient to this recipe?
TIA
(Thank in advance)
April,
I really don’t know; I use aluminum-free baking powder, though….
Thanks, Sue!!
Kelly, my kids and husband all LOVE baked oatmeal- even the ones who gag at normal oatmeal. With a little maple syrup on top, they’ll eat it for dessert. We do use honey in our recipe and never add any fruits or raisins, because that would really gross some of them out. I mix it up on Saturday night and stick it in the fridge and then we cook it before church on Sunday morning. So easy.
Oh and we also often stir applesauce into it, too.
I make something close to this. I leave out the baking soda, and add apple pie spice. Very yummy! Great with bacon!
OK, I plan to give it a shot!
Hi Kelly,
I’m Kate’s grandma and I made the baked oatmeal. It was a huge success! Kate and her daddy LOVED it! I made the mistake of soaking the oatmeal in water first. When I added the milk I realized what I did wrong – a little too wet. No worries I just baked it longer. Great recipe! I feel like a know you from reading your blog everyday. Thanks for all the great stuff!
Nancy
For those who don’t know, the Kate that Nancy is talking about is Ann Marie (Cheeseslave’s) daughter, Kate, and Nancy is the BEST mother-in-law EVER! She dropped everything to fly out to LA and stay with Kate so Ann Marie could go to a conference for Real Food Media this past weekend, AND while Ann Marie was gone, she made Kate REAL FOOD – does it get any better than that?
Nancy, I just had to tell everyone!
Hi Kelly,
Just wanted to thank you for being my fan! You are such a sweetie! I made the baked oatmeal twice on this last trip as it was requested by Seth and Ed. Ann Marie also wanted to try it. I’m sure that AM told you about Ed’s comment, “I like this for my last meal”
Try this for your family!
Nancy
Hi Nancy,
I’m putting it in the palmer right now! I still haven’t gotten around to trying it, but I’m making it this week for sure! I told my friend, Sue, that Ed loved it and it made her feel great to get that feedback.
Sounds like you guys had a great trip together in CA, I’m so glad Ann Marie took time to relax at least a little!
Hoping I get to meet you one of these days!
Kelly
We did have a great visit! Kate is getting bigger and funnier by the day. It was good that they relaxed, although Ann Marie was on the computer a lot (necessary at this point!) Ann Marie gave me some kefir grains and I made the baked oatmeal today with only kefir (instead of buttermilk) and it was just as delicious! Ed loved it! I cut it into pieces and wrapped each in saran wrap and placed them in a ziplock in the freezer. He can take them out when I’m working and heat them up with some milk. YUM!
It would be great to meet! I feel like I know you already from your blog and Ann Marie!
Nancy
I made it with maple syrup, also used pears AND apples and really reeeeeally loved this recipe! If we have any left (doubtful), I’ll try making it into granola like Ann Marie mentioned in a Tweet.
I made it again with kefir instead of milk. Ann Marie gave me some grains while we were in LA. I used pears and maple syrup and it was great! I have been cutting it into squares, wrapping each square in saran wrap and putting them in a ziploc in the freezer. With just two of us it’s a lot! We warm it with milk in a sauce pan. YUM! I made it for my nephews, 14 and 15 and they are now hooked too!
I must say I have just turned 50 and have NEVER eaten any breakfast cereal (as a breakfast cereal) although I have used oats and other cereals as toppings for crumbles and in breads and muffins etc.
I am tempted to try this. I like the idea of adding the fruit.
There is just my husband and me at home now and this quantity looks like it would last a lifetime. Can someone please give me an indication as to how many serves I will get from this quantity?
It’s just the two of us…so this is what I do. I cool the baked oatmeal. Then I cut it into 12 squares, you may want them bigger or smaller. Next I wrap each piece in plastic wrap and place all of the pieces in a ziploc and freeze them. We take them out, one or two at a time. Put some milk in a sauce pan and put baked oatmeal in. Warm it up and then break up the oatmeal as it heats up. It just takes a few minutes.
I made this oatmeal this morning and it is heavenly! I had stopped eating grains, but this may make me fall off the wagon (had to try it to see how it tasted). My kids eat oatmeal several times a week, (because they tire of eggs and kefir smoothies) and this is perfectly healthy for them.
I used kefir to soak overnight and found it to be the perfect consistency! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe, my kids are thanking you as well.
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Believe it or not, today I am making a double batch of the baked oatmeal! So many friends have wanted to try it, since our cholesterol is down 60 points! I figure I’ll freeze it in portions and have enough left over for us! Kefir grains are being dispensed as well! By the way, for those who use a microwave…if you heat the frozen portion for 1 minute, break it up with a spoon and add milk, heat for another minute, you will have healthy instant oatmeal! And maybe your doctor will do a happy dance because your cholesterol dropped too!
Nancy, I love how you’re spreading the word about real food!!! Your comment reminded me to go add a link in this email to Ann Marie’s post about how your cholesterol dropped after eating this oatmeal.
A hint though: just use a little pan to heat it up so you don’t have risk losing all the beneficial nutrients in the microwave.
I get to visit Ann Marie tomorrow!
I started soaking my oats yesterday afternoon (my first time soaking!) and made this baked oatmeal this morning. I have one word to say about it — YUM!!
Hi, Kel,
I think you should add something to your post about WHY it’s important that Nancy and Ed’s cholesterol dropped after eating this baked oatmeal 4-5 times a week for a month. I agree with you that cholesterol numbers are not important (the whole cholesterol thing is a sham) BUT I did a little digging (see my post) and found out what caused their numbers to drop and why it’s a good thing.
Thyroid expert Mary Shomon said that your thyroid gland regulates your cholesterol.
Shomon says that as we get older, our cholesterol goes up because our thyroid function goes down. I think what is so significant about Nancy and Ed’s experience is NOT that their cholesterol went down, but that their thyroid function improved.
The thyroid gland regulates the body’s temperature, metabolism, immunity and hormonal balance; the texture and quality of your skin, hair, and overall well-being; as well as sex drive, mood elevation and emotional balance. So many people have low thyroid function due to all the industrial waste we’ve been consuming (soy, fluoride, perchlorate, etc.)
A known benefit of coconut oil is that it supports the thyroid. This is how I deduced that it is the coconut oil that made their cholesterol numbers drop 60 points within a month. There’s 1/2 a cup of coconut oil in this recipe, so if you eat a serving per day (1/12th of the baked oatmeal) you’re getting just over half a tablespoon of coconut oil per day. A sneaky way to get that coconut oil in!
Incidentally, Seth BEGS for baked oatmeal all the time. I need to get in the habit of making it every week. He says he would eat it every single day!
I’m going to play with this recipe a bit and add more nuts. I want to see if I can get the protein numbers up. I’ve been reading the Julia Ross books and she says we should be eating 20-25 mg of protein per meal.
CHEESESLAVE’s last blog post..Opening Day for Cherries
Ann Marie, that’s why I linked to your post in mine, so peeps can read WHY it actually works!
Kelly – this recipe is fabulous and I’ve been making it for quite a few weeks with different variations. I like using applesauce instead of apples, because my apples were not getting soft enough in the baking. I also wanted to let people know that they can eliminate the sweetener all together and it is still quite tasty. I made it this morning with the cinnamon and vanilla and applesauce, but no honey or maple syrup and it was still quite good. (although not quite the lick-the-bowl-clean tasty that it is with the maple syrup)
Hi Melinda, what a great idea to make it with applesauce! I like the thought of no added sweetener, too, but knowing that oatmeal is already not my kid’s favorite, I’ll probably have to keep making it with the syrup.
Thanks!
I love the idea of using the applesauce. I’ve been making the baked oatmeal pretty regularly and while my family love the recipe as is, I find it to be too sweet. I’m going to try cutting the sweeteners in half — and if I can get away with that, I’ll try the applesauce next.
CHEESESLAVE’s last blog post..Real Food Wednesday: June 3, 2009
I like the idea of using applesauce, too!
Cheeseslave: can you believe the original recipe called for 1 cup sugar!!! I always cut sweetener in half!! Let us know how it is with 1/4 cup instead of the 1/2 cup!
Sue E.
Sue –
Haha! I can’t imagine! It was already really sweet.
I will let you know how it tastes with 1/4 cup. My family (extended family included) is ADDICTED to this recipe. My husband says, “You can give me this every morning for breakfast.” My father-in-law says, “This could be my last meal.” Ha!
And of course my in-laws are over the moon because their cholesterol has dropped 60 points (both of them) in the past few months after eating this baked oatmeal 4x per week. My mother-in-law is making baked oatmeal for everyone in their condo complex. It used to just be her famous chicken soup that was the miracle healing food — now it’s the soaked baked oatmeal with coconut oil.
Anyway, thanks so much for your recipe. You (and Kelly) have made many people very happy (and healthy)!
CHEESESLAVE’s last blog post..How to Make Homemade Soda Pop with Kefir Grains
Hmmm, this sounds absolutely wonderful and will definitely give it a try! Thank you so much for sharing.
I love baked oatmeal and haven’t thought of it in ages….”Menus for a Small Planet” had a recipe for it in the 70’s….hahaha…I go back a ways. And, I always loved it. Could cut a slab and walk out the door to work. Although now, I must admit, to like eating NOT on the run.
The new addition here is the coconut oil. Yum. how fabulous.
Thanks so much!! I love the Cheese Slave site!! And you introduced it to me, Kelly.
Hugs.
karen
ps. I’ll be using an evelope of Stevia in my recipe. The fruit will make it sweet enough, if cut up enough. Each bite w/ have a piece of fruit. How tasty is that?!!!
Hi Karen!
You’ll have to let us know how that is, I’ve never had good luck with Stevia in anything, and this is so good with maple syrup, but you could also just cut that back some.
So good to hear from you!!
Kel
Do you have to drain the oatmeal from the buttermilk before you mix in the other stuff? I usually drain and rinse my soaked oats before I cook them as plain oatmeal. Thanks!
Hi Gina,
Nope, just mix the other stuff in!
Kelly
Just had to say that this recipe has become the staple “go to” breakfast in our house. I make it ahead and freeze it in individual portions. This morning my husband told me he feels so much more satisified eating this than a bagel (his old breakfast of choice). I made my most recent batch with apples and fresh blueberries — YUM! These soaked oats are about the only grains I’m eating lately and I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything.
Kelly, I have to say, I’m so intrigued by the comments on this post.
I am a recipe follower to a T. What is your preferred sweetener and how much? I have turbinado sugar (sp?) and maple syrup and honey. Which do you recommend?
I probably won’t add fruit; I’m generally not a fan in granola or oatmeal, so take that into consideration when recommending how much sweetener to use.
Also, as far as soaking in buttermilk, do you make your own from raw milk or purchase it? I have some raw milk that is almost at its expiration date, but I’m not sure if I have enough to make buttermilk. Guess I should just search your site to find out how to do that, huh?
Hi Jo-Lynne,
I loooove using maple syrup for this, but I’ve also used palm sugar and that was good, too. I use the same amount that’s called for in the recipe.
For my buttermilk, yes, I make it with raw milk. Now I’ve made it so long, I just keep using a half cup from my previous batch to make a new quart of it. To get a new buttermilk starter, you can get one here: http://kellythekitchenkop.com/resources#starters.
Kelly
Hey there Jo-Lynne — I wanted to add a quick note to Kelly’s response. I always make this with 1/2 cup maple syrup and it’s perfect, but I typically use the raisins and apples. One time I made it for my hubby with apples and pecans and it really “needed” more sweetener. Even though my husband isn’t a big fan of raisins, we both underestimated how much sweetness they add to this recipe! Just my two cents.
Thank you for the great recipe! I made mine dairy-free by swapping the buttermilk for an equal amount of Sally Fallon’s coconut tonic + 1 T. apple cider vinegar. Delicious!
Okay, so I made it. We don’t like it. Sigh… I can appreciate it. But the kids, notsomuch. I think what they’re objecting to is that slightly sour taste that comes from soaking it in buttermilk. I’m assuming that Kefir would do the same thing? Is there another option?
Sorry for 2 comments. I forgot to check the notify of followup comments box, and I know you answer in your comments, not email.
I’m catching on! 
Hmm, that’s odd because we didn’t notice the sour taste at all…see the comment just above yours for another option…??? Might still be sour, though…bummer.
Kelly
My husband doesn’t like soaked oats, but maybe I can slip this one through.
Musings of a Housewife -
Try using whey and water (like Sally says to do in NT) instead of buttermilk. It’s not sour this way.
Is it possible to make this with steel cut oats? That is what we eat the most of, so I’d like to use them. I may just experiment myself, but I wondered if you’d need to use more buttermilk to soak them. Thank you!
Yes I have made it successfully w/ steel cut oats. I have never used more whey or buttermilk for steel cut. I’ve also added some sprouted flour which gives it a consistency of bread pudding.
Thank you! I just made another batch last night, in fact. My 3-year-old likes it, so slowly she and I ate the first batch (I froze in squares as someone else suggested) and I decided to make another. I rather enjoy it, and the taste doesn’t bother me. But next time I’ll give the whey a try.
Now, is this something I can buy, or do I have to make it?
I’m slowly reading through Nourishing Traditions. What a great resource!
Jo-Lynne (Musings of a Housewife), you can’t buy it…not yet anyway, hopefully someday things like this will become more mainstream. I’d still rather make my own, though – it’s so easy.
Kelly
Sometimes I find whey at the farmer’s market. Some farmers sell it. But usually you have to make it. You can make it from raw milk or kefir or yogurt. The recipe for making whey is in NT — and I have a recipe on my blog, too.
Here’s my post about making whey:
http://kellythekitchenkop.com/category/cream-cheese-yogurt-how-to-make
And here’s Ann Marie’s:
http://www.cheeseslave.com/2009/05/01/how-to-make-whey/
Kelly
You gals are a wealth of info. Thanks!
Wanted to report in on the applesauce substitute. I tried this dish for the first time this AM & made the following subs:
1) replaced the 1/2 cup sweetener with 1/2 cup of no-sugar added applesauce
2) replaced the buttermilk with yogurt thinned with water & reduced to 1 1/2 cups because of the applesauce liquid
3) omitted fruit
4) reduced raisins to 1 1/2 cups.
I just pulled it out of the oven & had the first taste. It tastes great!
I think the applesauce & the raisins make it sweet enough!
Thanks for experimenting and letting us know how it went!
Sue & Kelly,
Here’s a recipe I just tried last night: original with my substitutes in parenthesis.
2eggs, 1C brown sugar (succanet), 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 6 TBS butter melted, 1 C milk, 3 C oats.
Grease dish (9×13), beat eggs in dish, add sugar, bkng pwdr, cinn. slt, van. and stir until no lumps. whisk in milk and butter (I also added a 1/2 C of applesauce here), stir in oats. Cover and refridg. overnight. Bake at 350* for 35-45 minutes.
It was great! I’ve had baked oatmeal before but didn’t like the dry texture – too cake-like for me. the addition of the applesauce was a perfect moisturizer and gave it a moist but still firm texture.
BUT… I’d like to try it with the buttermilk and coconut oil but have a few questions.
1) I only have access to store bought buttermilk, usually NON-organic. Is it still worth it to do this or stick with my org. reg. milk?
2) Is it b/c it’s buttermilk (fermented?) the reason it can safely sit out overnight?
Thanks for all the resources, I’m still new to the whole process of ‘healthing up’ our eating and am learning so much from your site.
HIGHLY recommend the book: “What the Bible says About Healthy Living” by Rex Russell, MD. I do not think you need to be a believer to appreciate Dr. Russells research and findings.
So, Jennifer, you don’t soak the oats in buttermilk first? Looks like a good recipe, though! I, too, love my baked oatmeal less “cakey”, and more creamy. I have been omitting baking soda for awhile now, and it turns out just fine.
I also have been meaning to tell people that I tried peaches in place of apples and blueberries in place of raisins this summer…..yum! Getting ready to prepare my oats to make this tomorrow morning……can’t wait!
Sue E.
PS, my buttermilk is non-organic, but be sure yours is CULTURED….
You can buy a powder culture that you can pour into your own organic milk, though! I just haven’t had the chance to order any yet to put into my nonhomogonized milk. I think it can be bought through some cheese making website. Anyone know?
Regarding buttermilk, what do you all think of this? It’s readily available in grocery stores in this area in the baking section.
http://www.sacofoods.com/culteredbuttermilkblend.html
Beth
Hi Beth,
I’d stick with the real stuff. My first tip-off was this line: “SACO ’s Buttermilk Blend stores up to several years when kept refrigerated after opening.” Anything that stores that long is super processed. Also, anytime milk is in powdered form it is a super denatured food.
Just my thoughts!
Kelly
I like eating oatmeal so I made the baked oatmeal recipe this morning (soaked the oatmeal in buttermilk over night ~ 12 hours). I followed the recipe exactly and it came out “wet” – is it suppose to be like this? I put it back in the oven for a couple more minutes and it was still the same way. I just wasnt sure if its suppose to come out this way or not.
Also would it hurt to decrease the amount of raisins in the recipe? Not a huge fan of them.
Thanks!
Alexis,
When you say “wet” do you mean soupy?? I actually like my oatmeal to come out more liquidy, so I add more liquid to this original recipe, and I omit the baking powder (and most of my family prefers the middle part to the drier edges, so it’s first come, first served!!—-or we just add milk to the bowl!) So, the way the recipe is written, I am surprised yours came out “wet”, especially when some people have said that they can cut theirs into squares for reheating later. Maybe you forgot the eggs?? Anyway, try less buttermilk, maybe?
Concerning the raisins, I think this recipe is very forgiving for fruit. I have tried it with Craisins (although they have lots of added sugar), blueberries, peaches, pears, etc. I don’t even measure my fruit in it anymore!
Hope this helps!
Sue E.
I wanted to add that the “soupy” comment does sound like maybe you forgot something. Baked oatmeal is normally dry, too cake-like for me so I add 1/2-1 cup of applesauce and after it’s cooled I can still cut it into squares to put away for easy re-heating later.
Also, I don’t do any fruit or nuts in mine, we all like it plain.
Jennifer
Hi Sue & Jennifer,
Thanks for the suggestions!
Its not necessary “soupy” but it doesnt have the consistency of being able to cut out into squares to reheat later. That was my original intent of making the recipe to cut squares to freeze and be able to reheat (since its just me and my husband). It sounds like it was suppose to come out the way it did (the edges were more dry than the middle part of the oatmeal). I made sure I followed the recipe exactly so not sure what happened. I will try putting less buttermilk and see what happens the next time I make it. And I love blueberries so I’ll use those instead.
Thanks again!
I made this today with leftover oatmeal (made from soaked oat groats) and it was good. Two of the kids asked for seconds and the other two rated it a 3 on a scale of 1 to 5. They rate the plain oatmeal a 1 or less! It will be even better the next time I make it. The original oatmeal was burnt a little in the pan and that taste is coming through. I used honey, didn’t measure the apples or raisins and it turned out soupy so we ate it out of bowls. I’d love to try it will blueberries or blackberries this summer.
we tried this and it’s DELICIOUS!! It’s perfect for a weekend or holiday breakfast.
It tasted more like coffee-cake, and the kids keep asking me when I will be making it again. thanks!
This recipe is AWESOME!! I have made it several times now, but with raw milk plus lemon juice because I haven’t ordered my buttermilk culture yet (doing that today!). It is definitely a keeper, and I especially love that it makes enough for leftovers, even with my large family.
Yesterday I made it with more milk (not sure how much more – just poured in some extra), and I loved that the middle was nice and custardy, so I am going to try that again.
This was very tasty! My buttermilk culture kicked the bucket (so sad!) so I substituted milk with a little yogurt and apple cider vinegar. I baked it a little longer and the texture was really nice. It is really filling too-I made half the recipe for my husband and I, and we only ate 1/2 the pan and were completely satisfied. That’s only a 1/4 c oatmeal and half an egg for each of us-talk about a budget booster!
Hi!
I made this the first few times with oatmeal and it was great and then I tried amaranth and it came out GREAT—family loved it! You all should try it.
Oh wow! This was great. I stumbled across your site after just searching for soaked baked oatmeal. Excellent! This was only my second soaked recipe and definetely a success. I added a couple of tablespoons of WW flour during the soaking process and used applesauce. I like my oatmeal creamy so just poured about 1/2 cup of whole milk on top of it and loved it. I’ll be poking around here for more recipes now! Thank you
Shannon
Sounds nice- I hope to try it without the sugar and add stevia at the end. I am diabetic and even a half cup of steel cut oatmeal destroys my BG numbers for about two days. But every few months I give it a shot.
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